Chapter Text
It was a calm day, Kyuseishu was on his usual patrol, already having stopped someone shoplifting and a pickpocketing in progress. While he was constantly keeping Full Cowl on in invisible mode, he was also checking everyone's quirks with Search and Quirk Understanding, specifically checking for a quirk with a very specific quirk.
I'm doing this for the future of One for All. Izuku thought to himself, making sure to block that thought from the vestiges and the rest of the Ennead. It had been almost a year since he was asked if he planned to give One for All away any point in the future. The thought of an apprentice or something of the like crossed his mind before, he had plenty of sidekicks not to mention 3 children with 2 more on the way. However that line of thought was quickly driven back by the scorching pain of the idea that he might push his children too hard, like Endeavor did. Huh, he never felt so in line with his biological Father's values.
The point is that he started looking for a specific quirk that might keep One for All from being too much to handle for future users, ignoring the fact that he'd have to find another quirkless person who wanted to inherit One for All that is.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when Quirk Understanding started speaking.
Midoriya-sama, we have located a quirk that seems to fit the description you are looking for. The person with said quirk is located a few meters Infront of you, named Kusari Yokusei. His quirk is called Restraint and seems to function atleast similar to the use you need.
"Thanks Quirk Understanding" Kyuseishu thought as he made his way over to Kusari. As Izuku got closer, he tapped the middle aged man on the shoulder, Diagnosis instantly went off, showing some bones that obviously didn't heal right and even some bones that currently were sprained.
"Um, excuse me?" Kyuseishu asked, not even a hint of awkwardness in his voice. He'd come a long way from the anxiety riddled quirkless boy All Might found under that bridge.
Kusari quickly turned around surprised, his eyes widening as he took in the fact that the number 4 top hero was talking to him. "Yes? Kyuseishu-sama?" He asked, his tone a mixture of confusion at what the currently quickly rising hero Kyuseishu wants from him and excitement at getting to talk to someone who was suspected quirkless for most of his childhood just like himself.
"I've noticed that you've got multiple sprained bones and was wondering if you were alright?" Izuku said, smiling politely.
Chuckling softly, the middle aged man bowed slightly. "Oh, please don't worry about me, my quirk allows me to barely notice when i break or sprain my bones. I've just been enjoying Kickboxing is all, so no need to worry that I'm starting fights or something." He explained as he ran a hand through his black shoulder length hair.
Slightly tilting his head, Kyuseishu looked curiously at the man. "Well if i may ask, what exactly is your quirk?"
Kusari blinked surprised at the question. "Well my quirk, Restraint, doesn't allow me to use more of my strength than i can currently handle. So if i break my leg or something, my quirk prevents me from damaging it further by stepping on it with too much force. That is also why i have a lot of sprained bones. I can go into further detail if you want Kyuseishu-sama." He explained, taking out his phone as he finished. "Uhm actually i was wondering if i could get a picture with you? You were a big inspiration for me since my quirk isn't really obvious or visible so a lot of people thought i was quirkless, but you've shown me that even someone with a weak or problematic quirk can do great things."
Izuku had to stop himself from crying at that, he was so happy with the reach he had and the things he accomplished. The man he was speaking to was asking for a photo with him. Nodding he got into position, pulling down his mask to reveal a big smile and showing a peace sign to the camera. "Say Plus Ultra!"
Kusari smiled widely at his phone camera. "Plus Ultra!" He exclaimed happily as he took the picture. Taking a look at the picture on his phone, he bowed to Izuku. "Thank you Kyuseishu-sama!" He exclaimed as he put his phone away.
Smiling aswell, Izuku pulled his mask back up. "Please, no need to bow. Besides I'm always happy to take pictures with fans." He said happily. "Let me just give you a clean bill of health real quick." Izuku offered, putting his hand on Kusari's shoulder.
Nodding happily, Kusari's body flashed for a second before he felt his wrists. "Wow... i haven't felt this spry in ages, thank you so much Kyuseishu-sama." The middle aged man then looked at his watch. "I'm sorry, but i have to get to work now. Thank you for the picture and healing me!" He exclaimed happily while going off, Izuku waving as he did.
Phantom Thief checked his watch for what felt like the Thousandth time, then he finally spotted the man he was looking for.
Kusari was on his way to work as usual, thanks to Kyuseishus healing a week ago he felt the best he had in years.
Monoma walked up to the middle aged man with a polite smile. "Yokusei-san?" He asked Kusari.
Kusari stopped just before Monoma, absolutely stunned. "Phantom Thief? First Kyuseishu last week and now you? I've never been this lucky!" He exclaimed excitedly.
Stopping himself from chuckling at that, Monoma looked at the man with a more serious expression. "I'm here to ask you for something actually. Something that will sound a little weird." As he was met by a questioning look, Neito continued. "I need to copy your quirk and permanently keep it to help someone, a very good friend of mine. Kyuseishu actually told me what your quirk is, that's why I'm here."
Processing that information for a few seconds, Kusari nodded thoughtfully. "So you want to permanently copy my quirk to give it to someone else who needs it?" Kusari asked to clarify, at the pro hero's nod a smirk grew on his face. "Well that would make their hero, wouldn't it? Of course I'll do it! Just to become their hero!"
Now actually chuckling a little at the infectious enthusiasm of the business man, Monoma put his hand on his shoulder and copied his quirk, quickly depositing it into one of the slots he kept open for such moments.
"Your help is incredibly appreciated Yokusei-san." The young hero said with a slight bow, causing Kusari to sputter, blush and smile.
Sputtering for a few more seconds, Kusari checked his watch. "I-I'm sorry Phantom Thief-sama, but could i get a picture before i have to leave?" He asked, and then smiled brightly at Neito's nod.
Taking out his and pointing positioning his camera, he smiled brightly. "Plus Ultra!" He exclaimed.
That took Monoma off guard and he almost burst out laughing, which caused him to smile brightly. "Plus Ultra!" He managed to shout without laughing.
Taking the picture and looking at it on his phone for a few seconds, then putting it away. "I'm sorry to ask this so rudely, but was that all? I really have to get to work."
Nodding with a smirk, Monoma let the businessman go. Once he was out of sight he took out his phone, sending a message to Izuku [quirk gotten].
Izuku promptly sent back a sticker of himself showing a thumbs up, part of a much bigger sticker set that Mei and Momo made for his 20th birthday.
The use of that sticker made Monoma let out a sigh as he sent a similar sticker of himself back that was made by Yuga in a similarly large set, Yuga had gotten that idea from Momo. The two polycules often met for tea or to discuss general quirk weirdness.
The Izuku’s polycule gathered around the couch, even Mei was there, they were discussing the future of One for All after all.
Monoma tensed a little, it had been around two months since he copied Kusari's quirk and now it was time for the big discussion, the members of the Ennead looked at him from their couch that was right across from him. The vestiges appeared in assorted chairs around the living room table. Nana crossing her legs in a chair on Neito's left side. En sitting hunched over in a chair next to her. Daigoro looked the most relaxed if it wasn't for his clenched jaw, he sat closer to the couch were the Ennead was positioned. Hikage sat a bit farther away from everyone, he was used to solitude from when he was alive so he always kept a certain distance from people when stressed or nervous. Ryouji, who sat on a wider chair with his husband right next to the polycule, looked the most pissed. Isamu in contrast looked more contemplative than anything, keeping a hand on his husbands arm. Yoichi sat on the floor like he always did in stressful situations, his back leaning against the arm of Monoma's chair. Inko fiddled with her thumbs while Yagi kept a comforting hand on her leg, they sat between Daigoro and the Ennead.
Everyone was nervous, this was an important discussion, about the future of the quirk One for All, about the future of the vestiges, the Ennead and Izuku’s career as a pro hero.
With clear of his throat, Izuku broke the silence. "So the quirk, Restraint, isn't inherently going to change anything, i want you all to know that. Monoma-kun made sure to test it thoroughly and he assured me that there are no side effects that could possibly lessen my efficiency as a pro hero." As Monoma nodded at that, everyone relaxed by just a hair. "Just to clarify again, because now it's more important to remember than ever, I'm not actively looking for an apprentice that i could give One for All to, nor do i already have someone in mind, this is merely preparation for when i give One for All away. Because let's face it, i have to give this quirk away at some point as much as it saddens me.
As Izuku finished, the silence returned.
"So from what i understand Restraint will just make it so whoever Izu-kun chooses as an apprentice will have an easier time and not worry anyone as easily with reckless injuries, correct?" Mei asked bluntly as ever, breaking the silence.
"Well, partially. I found that i can still circumvent Restraint if i really try, though it still makes it easier on my body when i do circumvent it. It would mostly just assure that when Izuku chooses a successor, One for All won't kill them or whoever is in line after that." Monoma explained.
"You mean if he chooses a successor." Ryouji corrected Monoma annoyed, earning him a smack on the leg from his husband.
Izuku swallowed, about to say something. "Well then why don't we give Izu-kun Restraint and we'll see what happens after?" Mei suggested before Izuku could say a word, having sensed Izuku’s nervousness. And indeed Mei's words made Izuku just a bit calmer.
Letting out a huff, Momo rubbed her temples. "I suppose i can't argue with that logic and considering that Izu-kun would get injured less often, i honestly think it's a good idea. Besides, we all now that he wouldn't give One for All away without informing us, not that he could keep it a secret if he wanted to." She said, voicing her opinion on the matter. Which made everyone generally agree, even Ryouji who seemed the most opposed to the idea nodded reluctantly.
Monoma took a deep breath. "So everyone is on board with me giving Restraint to Izuku?" He asked for clarification, just to make sure no one was about to change their mind.
"Let's get this behind us, ribbit." Tsuyu croaked, not wanting to waste all her energy on this discussion when a much more difficult one was awaiting them afterwards.
Getting up and extending his hand towards Izuku, Monoma looked paused once more, a last chance for anyone to speak up. Then he took Izuku's hand, the vestiges, Yagi and the members of the Ennead aswell as Izuku braced themselves. And then it was over as soon as it had started. Monoma sat back down and another silence filled the room, though this time out of surprise.
Yoichi let out an amused breath. "Guess it only pulls us into a dreamspace if someone tries to take the quirk." He mumbled amused, the others projecting agreement while Monoma tilted his head confused.
"Oh right, you don't know. Back when All for One tried to take One for All from Izu-kun in Kamino it pulled us into a sort of dreamspace where we had to fight him for control." Nejire promptly explained, at which the blonde boy nodded understandingly.
Then for the fourth time, a silence filled the room, this one incredibly tense. It was time to discuss the future of One for All, the big question on everyone's mind, if Izuku should have a successor or not.
After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, Inko couldn't handle the tense silence anymore and quickly shot up out of her seat. "Anyone want some coffee?" She asked, there was a slight shaking in her voice that nobody wanted to address.
"A black one for my husband and one with cream for me." Isamu said calmly, sensing the tension in Ryouji's body.
Yoichi held up a finger. "One with cream and sugar for me please."
Nodding, Inko looked to the other people present. "Thank you, anyone else?" She asked, now a little more stable than before.
En smiled softly. "A black one for me too please."
The corners of Inko's mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly as she nodded at En, then as Yagi smiled at her, she nodded at him too. When nobody else wanted anything, she made her way towards the kitchen.
Ochako let out a small groan. "Let's actually start this discussion, i know the kids are having a sleepover at my parents and Eri is sleeping over at her friends so there's technically no rush, but I'd still like to get this done as quickly as possible." She explained, the pregnancy taking a lot of energy out of her.
Nodding Izuku braced himself. "I want a successor some day. Someone who i can give One for All to so the vestiges can live on." He stated, everyone could feel the truth in that statement.
All Might tilted his head. "What about your hero career? You'll only have the embers of One for All until he reaches a stage 3 bond over Yoichi." The ex number 1 Hero asked, his tone and expression more serious than usual.
Smirking Nana let out sigh. "Doesn't have to be a he, i would actually prefer if the tenth was a girl." She said, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Isamu smirked slightly. "Sure wouldn't mind a little more diversity either." The third user mused.
Smiling slightly at that, Izuku looked at his stepdad. "To answer the question, no, i do not plan to retire shortly after giving away my quirk. I've been testing with Momo's stage 3 bond ability and how long the hair remains powered. The upper limit seems to be around 2 years. More than enough time to actually give me a quirk if the embers fade before my successor gets a stage 3 bond over Yoichi."
Daigoro let out a huff. "So you've already been planning for a while?" He asked, an edge of betrayal in his voice.
With a groan, Hikage looked up from the floor. "Just cause he was testing doesn't mean he was already planning, calm down." His voice more exhausted than annoyed, he hadn't voiced his opinion on the matter yet.
Raising an eyebrow at Hikage's statement, En looked over at him. "What side are you on anyway? Surely you'd want to actually live longer?"
Hikage scoffed at that. "I wouldn't mind living longer as a vestige, but honestly letting One for All die with Izuku wouldn't be that bad either in my opinion."
That seemed to have upset Nana, she leaned forward eyeing the fourth with disbelief. "And what if another quirk like All for One appears? Or what if someone figures out how to transplant quirks like Mugens doctor did? There's a good chance that something like that could happen and when it does, do you really want One for All gone?"
"While there's is a non zero chance that a quirk like All for One could appear through mutation, they likely wouldn't be able to gather as many powerful quirks so that's not as much of a problem. Besides that entire quirk lineage is basically dead since neither Mugen, Yoichi or Nine had kids." Izuku explained. That earned him a nod from Yoichi. "However a more powerful quirk could easily appear, not to mention the very real possibility of Garaki's research being found and someone learning how to transplant quirks. There's no way to know just how many labs he had scattered across Japan or if we got them all."
Taking a negotiating role, En lifted a hand. "So just to make this clear, none of us actually want the quirk to die, you just don't want Izuku to give it away and deal with the consequences?" He asked to level the field.
As Ryouji, Daigoro, Ochako, Yui, Toru nodded Inko arrived with the tea. "What did i miss?" She asked, getting an info dump by Bonding. "Ah, so now were discussing reasons, i guess?"
"I should mention that i will keep 8 copies of bonding aswell as copies of all the other quirks, does that change anyone's opinion?" Izuku clarified.
Looking around confused, Monoma was about to ask, before Melissa answered. "Only Ryouji-san is fully against it anymore, but Daigoro-san and Occhan still have some doubts." She explained, he nodded at that.
Ryouji was now seething. "Are you serious?! Were already treating this as something that will happen?! I don't want another fucking brat to teach my quirk!"
Isamu put a hand on his husbands leg. "Calm down Chief, we have Quirk Understanding for that. Besides it'll be fun to have some new blood to teach again, think about how fun it was teaching Izuku, all the teasing. Also everyone here knows you liked having someone as your student."
With a reluctant huff, Ryouji grumbled. "Fine. But I'll ignore them until they prove themselves to us." Isamu nodded in agreement at that.
"Guess I'm next..." Ochako mumbled, unusually timid. "How much percent of One for All are you planning to keep? I'm just worried that you're not going to be strong enough without the full power of One for All." She admitted.
Mei and Melissa smirked. "Oh we have ideas to make sure he stays properly strong, the Iron Might suit was a good prototype, but considering all the quirks Izu-kun will have, the Iron Ultimate will be much stronger." Melissa explained with comforting confidence, making Ochako less nervous and making Yui's eyes sparkle with excitement. Izuku and Yagi both looked at each other, knowing they're both test subjects.
Now everyone was looking at Daigoro, the last one who wasn't fully on board yet. He let out a heavy breath as he fidgeted with his fingers. "How are we going to explain this to Eri and the kids? I'll miss them for sure, that's no question, but unless you tell them. I will not be on board with this."
That struck everyone, they hadn't even thought about that, Yagi and Isamu almost spat out their coffee at that. Everyone had known that Daigoro loved the kids and Eri and being the fun uncle, but nobody had expected this.
Mei was the first to answer. "Well we can tell the kids when they're older, they won't even remember if we tell them now. So there's no reason to tell them yet and make them sad already with something they can't even fully understand anyway." She said casually, which made Daigoro chuckle a little.
"But Daigoro-san's right, we'll need to tell Eri. She deserves to be told now rather than just before i give my quirk away." Izuku said determined.
Letting out a sigh, Inko picked up her coffee cup. "Let's not do it today, okay?" She asked, a slightly pleading tone.
That cut right through the tension as Yagi took her hand in his and smiling. "Exactly, there's still time for that, so let's not rush it!" He exclaimed, taking a sip of his coffee, eliciting a groan from the second and third.
The next difficult conversation happened just a month later. Izuku took a deep breath as he knocked on her door, bracing himself for the difficult conversation about to take place.
"Come in!" Eri called out.
Stepping in and closing the door behind himself, Izuku sat down on her bed. "I... need to talk with you about something. Something about thr future."
Looking up from her sketchbook on her desk, Eri quickly sat down on the bed beside her adoptive father.
Izuku took a deep breath. "My quirk, One for All, you know how it works and that the vestiges, Yoichi and the others, are part of it." As Eri nodded at that, he continued. "And you know that grandpa Toshi gave One for All to me?"
Eyes widening, it started dawning on Eri what her Papa was talking about. She quickly jumped up. "You're not seriously talking about giving it away, are you?"
A guilty look to the ground from Izuku told the young heroine in training all she needed to know. "What do the others think, do they even know?"
Gently patting the spot beside him on the bed, Eri sat down next to him again. "Yes, the others know and don't worry, it won't be anytime soon. I'm not even close to looking for a successor yet. But i have been experimenting with Yoamomo's stage 3 bond ability and will be keeping 8 copies of Bonding aswell as copies of all the other quirks and a good chunk of strength." He explained.
Turning the words in her head, she swallowed hard. "Okay, but won't the next user then be considerably weaker?" She asked cautiously, as if finding some reason for Izuku to not give One for All away.
Smiling softly at that, Izuku hugged his adoptive daughter. "You don't have to be worried, not about me or whoever comes after me, since One for All gets around 50 percent stronger the moment you give it away."
That sentence almost made Eri's eyes bug out. She knew that One for All's exponential growth was ridiculous, but she didn't know it was that ridiculous.
Chuckling, Izuku tilted his head slightly. "Oh and don't tell your siblings, we're not gonna tell them for a while." He said in a tone that held seriousness underneath, which made Eri laugh a bit as she nodded.